Lessons for Goa from smart state Kerala

Kerala is the star in Niti Aayog’s sustainable development goals index

Indians talking blithely about “the next superpower” should visit China. The giant neighbour has complex problems, but there’s no doubt it leaves every country of the subcontinent way behind in all categories of economic and technological advancement, as well as human development. In a similar regard, explorations of Kerala are the required reality check for Goans who want to understand how things have gone wrong in their home state. Just a few hundred kilometres down the coastline, ‘God’s own Country’ reaps the dividend of wise choices. Malabar abounds with reminders and connections to the Konkan, including in Calicut and Wayanad. The coastal city, now renamed Kozhikode, is where Vasco da Gama first touched India, on his voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. Meanwhile, the Western Ghats district surrounding Sulthan Bathery is reminiscent of Goa’s own mountainous interior. That resemblance would be truly uncanny, except for one crucial difference—no garbage. It feels like you are in an alternative universe to Goa, with nigh-identical topography and biodiversity, but lovingly maintained by responsible people. For decades now, the world has marvelled about the “Kerala model of development”, emphasising productive social infrastructure, with dramatic results in education, healthcare, infant mortality and life expectancy. But these quality-of-life indicators also come along with remarkable political and social awareness. After last year’s deadly Nipah virus outbreak, Prasanth Nair wrote, “Bigger the challenge, the better the response of the people…The soul of Kozhikode is something much more than mere goodness. In my experience as the district collector, this place seems to have taught me much more than mere goodness. It is to do more with love, brotherhood and compassion. It’s about the culture of sharing; sharing for the betterment of people and places.” Kerala is the standout star in Niti Aayog’s sustainable development goals index. When the ministry of power released its first-ever state energy efficiency preparedness index last year, it was no surprise Kerala ranked first. Back in 2016, then president Pranab Mukherjee declared Kerala the first digital state in the country, the first to complete the national fibre optic network project to provide high-speed internet to every gram panchayat, and successfully transition to paperless offices in crucial departments like motor vehicles and land registration.

This litany of Malayali achievements, with no end of spectacular highlights, provides useful benchmarks for every other state in India, and begs the question, why does Goa fare so very poorly by comparison? Kerala’s many successes are hard won, and of course no one could begrudge any part of India for doing well despite the odds. But surely there must be some lingering doubts in the comparison? For instance, how do Goa’s tourism stakeholders feel when contrasting what is being done here to Kerala, which won the World Travel Mart Gold Award for responsible tourism in 2018. These are just more accolades for a state that works in so many ways. But here in Goa, they’re reminders of all that is dysfunctional.